There are all kinds of ways in which we can actively support our children's development and the work that the teachers do with them at school. One of the fundamental elements of Steiner education is rhythm. The children experience this strongly in Kindergarten and from Class I onwards in the main lessons, while the celebration of the festivals gives a rhythm that is basic to the whole school. We can support all of this by giving our children a strong feeling of rhythm at home as they grow up, for if we examine our own lives, we see that rhythm plays an important role.

We sleep and wake, we breathe in and out, and we pass through the seasons again and again. We soon feel the detrimental effect of any major disturbance to these rhythms: if our breathing is interfered with, we panic. If we are deprived of sleep, we feel disorientated and we lack creativity and initiative. And so it is for our children. If their daily life is chaotic - if, for example, their mealtimes are irregular or they are looked after by lots of different people - they are more likely to become jumpy and unsettled as a result of having to adjust continually to new situations. For both children and adults, modern life is lacking in rhythm. We are no longer affected, for example, by natural rhythms. When it grows dark, we switch on a light, and when it is cold, we put on the heating rather than go out and chop wood. We can have lettuce and strawberries for Christmas, shop at any time, go swimming in winter and have hot baths whenever we like, and gone are many of the jobs which involve repeated rhythmical activity, so that children rarely watch cows being milked, butter being churned or wool being spun.

For us as parents, it is therefore really vital to build rhythm into our children's lives wherever we can - through regular mealtimes, and story times often repeating the same story. We can help them develop a strong feeling for the days of the week and the weekend; we can do seasonal things with them such as decorating eggs at Easter or planting bulbs in the autumn. Having a special corner at home for treasures found on walks - twigs and flowers, shells and stones - and for seasonal pictures can be enriching and fun. Lighting a candle before a meal or bedtime, saying a simply grace or bedtime prayer, helps children to find their place in the day. With all children it is helpful, for example, to do music practice at the same time each day, to have a regular homework or reading time, and to have a set bedtime and a particular job or task to carry out daily at a certain time. Through such experiences, a real feeling of security is built up in the children, which enables them to move through the complex world in which they live feeling more confident and at ease, while they have greater forces available to them for the development of their capacities. In bringing a flexible and creative rhythm into daily living, our children receive a gift, which will be of value to them throughout their lives.

Bedtimes